As a result of increasing interest in sustainable development, the subject of this report is the exploration of methods to analyse the environmental impact of car components. The project is conducted as a case study, and the theory section is a literature study where several scientific articles about life cycle assessment (LCA) and environmental analysis are examined alongside previously performed LCAs, books about the subject, and ISO standards. The ISO14040-series provides a structure for the basic methodology used in this report, both to organise the theory section as well as the resulting process.

The theory concludes with a 7-step process for conducting life cycle investigations, primarily for car components. The first step contains the ISO standard’s requirements of defining goal and scope. Steps 2-6 then process the data collection of different phases during the life cycle and the 7th and final step is a compilation and calculation of the data.

The developed process aims to provide a fast and simple way of analysing the environmental impact for a product as the development work is progressing. To validate the functionality of the process and to further refine the process, it is used to perform an analysis of energy use and CO2 emissions during the life cycle of an active car bonnet device. This validation includes definitions of goal, scope, functional unit, and a Process Flow Chart in the first step.Steps 2-6 includes the data collection for raw materials, additional processes, use phase, end-of-life, and the transports related to the manufacturing of the investigated product. The last step of the validation is to compile the product’s energy use and CO2 emissions. The study also provides a suggestion for a table, called Life Cycle Eco Data Table, to use when conducting a life cycle investigation using the process, to get an overview of the environmental data. The conclusion is that the developed process is easy to use and aspires to high quality as it is based on scientific research.